Korean BBQ Beef

Seriously delicious Korean BBQ Beef, also known as bulgogi, is made with the best, easy homemade Korean BBQ Sauce recipe and ground beef. It can be served in a rice bowl, as lettuce wraps or tacos!

Thanks to my friends at California Beef Council for sponsoring today’s post!

There’s nothing I love more than making one dish that you can turn into multiple meals throughout the week. On next weeks episode of the “Feed Me!” podcast, we’re talking all about that!

If you haven’t tuned in to the “Feed Me!” podcast yet, you definitely need to! It’s so much fun and we talk all about delicious recipes, tacos, one pot meals and more!

On the upcoming episode, it’s back to school time and I’m talking about easy recipes you can make once and turn into different lunches through the week. This Korean BBQ Beef is made in just 29 minutes, then can be used to make tasty tacos, delicious bowls or healthy lettuce wraps throughout the week.

Needless to say, it’s one of my favorite sauces ever and it’s so easy to make!

How do you make Korean BBQ Beef?

To make this easy Korean BBQ Beef recipe, begin by making the Korean BBQ Sauce. In a large saucepan, combine brown sugar, soy sauce, mirin, water, rice wine vinegar, chili paste, sesame oil, black pepper, ginger and garlic. Bring this to a boil, then mix together a slurry of cornstarch and water, add it to the boiling sauce. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 3-4 minutes. Remove the sauce from the stovetop and set aside.

To make the beef, add sesame oil to a large skillet on the stove over medium heat, add minced garlic and ground beef to the skillet and cook for 5-7 minutes. Pour the sauce into the skillet, simmer for 2-3 minutes. Stir in green onions and it’s ready to be served.

What kind of beef is used for Korean BBQ?

Korean BBQ Beef is typically made with thin slices of rib eye, but this can be hard to find at a traditional grocery store, which is why I subbed in ground beef for this recipe.

You can certainly buy a ribeye at the store and slice it as thin as possible at home to use in this recipe.

The sauce really is what makes the recipe, so you could try it with a different cut of beef also if you’d like, such as cubed or sliced beef sirloin.

What to serve with Korean BBQ Beef?

Korean BBQ Beef can simply be served with rice, cucumber salad and kimchi, or you can make it into different meals, like bowls, tacos and lettuce wraps.

Korean BBQ Bowls

You can easily meal prep a bunch of Korean BBQ bowls and take them to work or school for lunch. Start with a base of rice or quinoa, then top it with the bbq beef and your choice of optional toppings. I topped mine with shredded carrots, sugar snap peas and diced scallions.

You could also add kimchi, cucumbers, bell peppers, broccoli or jalapenos. It’s your bowl, make it your own!

Korean BBQ Tacos

I served the Korean BBQ Beef in heated corn tortillas, then topped them with shredded carrots and diced scallions. You could also whip up this easy Asian Slaw to put on top.

Radishes, cucumbers, cabbage and jalapenos also make great Korean BBQ Taco toppings!

Korean BBQ Lettuce Wraps

For a healthy meal made with this Korean BBQ beef, try adding it to lettuce wraps, using either butter or iceberg lettuce leaves and topping them with a sprinkling of sesame seeds and scallions.

This versatile dish is sure to be a hit with the entire family! I seriously couldn’t pick a favorite way to eat it, so I just kept rotating through bowls, tacos and lettuce wraps!

Comment below and let me know which is your favorite way to eat this Korean BBQ Beef!

Korean BBQ Beef

Instructions

Korean BBQ Sauce

In a large saucepan combine the first 11 ingredients of the Korean BBQ sauce and bring to a boil, cook 5-7 minutes.

In a small bowl, combine the cornstarch and water.

Add this mixture to the boiling sauce, whisk to combine well, reduce heat to medium and cook 3-4 minutes.

Turn the heat off and set the sauce aside.

Korean BBQ Beef

Add 1 tsp sesame oil to a large skillet over medium heat, add the garlic and saute for 1 minute, add the ground beef and cook through, 5-7 minutes.

Drain any grease from the beef.

Add the Korean BBQ sauce to the skillet and simmer for 2-3 minutes.

Stir in the green onions and serve with rice, in a bowl, lettuce wrap or taco.

Recipe Notes

All of the ingredients for the Korean BBQ Sauce should be easily found in the Asian section of a traditional grocery store. You may also click the ingredient links in the recipe to order the ingredients online now.

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Mirin is a sweet cooking rice wine that can usually be found in the Asian section of your grocery store

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8 months ago

Hi, I'm Whitney! I’m a sports-loving, coffee-drinking, food blogger, the host of “ 29 Minute Meals”, a contributing writer for TODAY Food, cookbook author and on camera food and lifestyle expert, regularly featured on news stations across the country! On my blog, you’ll find most recipes are made in 29 minutes or less, in one pot, or in a crock pot! Learn More